Tap-wrench.



No. 802,894. PATENTED 00'1124, 1905.

A. J. SMART. TAP WRENCH.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB.11.1905.

' QUime/awo STATES PAT ij ALBERT J. SMART, OF GREENFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSiGNOR TO WILEY & RUSSELL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF GREENFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

TAP-WRENCH,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented octjea, 1905.-

Application filed February 11, 1905. Serial No. 24:5,323.

To all] wit/2771 it may concern.-

Be it known thatl, ALBERT J. SMART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenfield, in the county of Franklin and State of itlassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Taprenches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to wrenches, more particularly to wrenches for holding and turning screw-taps and reamers, ordinarily called tap-wrtmches, and has for its objects the production of a wrench simple, strong, and durable, adjustable so as to accommodate any size of tap-shank within all ordinary limits firmly and without liability of slipping, and one easy and always ready for adjustment, not liable to get out of order, and not liable to have its working parts become clogged with metal chippings or other foreign matters.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a tap-wrench of the class where the bit is advanced and retracted through the rotation of one of the handles, which will be light in construction, neat in appearance, and have its working parts so assembled that they may be readily removed for the purpose of inspection or repair and at the same time will be entirely inclosed within the body of the wrench,

and thus be fully protected from injury.

To the accomplishment of these objects and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists of a tap-wrench embodying the features of construction, the combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts having the general mode of operation substantially as hereinafter described and claimed in this specification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, which disclose the preferred embodiment thereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of the tap-wrench. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the stock and a portion of the wrench-handle, and Fig. 3 is a detail view of the movable bit and the means of connecting it to one of the handles.

Referring to the drawings, (t denotes a suitable stock having a central angular opening 6 through and through across the axis to receive the angular head of a tap and provided also with a central longitudinal cylindrical chamber 0, which has both of its ends scrcw-tlneaded, one end preferably with a single V-lllilGflLl (Z and the other with a single square thread At the inner end of the thread (Z the chamber 0 is preferably contracted, as shown at f, so

as to form an annular shoulder against which may be seated a bit g, secured firmly in place against rotation by any suitable means, as a set-screw it, passing through the stock and having a bearing in a recess 03, cut in the said bit. A handlej maybe secured to this end of the stock by any suitable means, as by 5 screwing into the threads (Z, and is preferably made hollow for lightness.

It is obvious that, if desired, the stock a may be formed entirely solid across the half containing bit gthat is, chamber a would ex- 7 tend only as far as opening 5 and the solid wall across one side thereof would act as an abutment for the tap-head in a similar manner as though a separate bit were used; but a hard-steel bit is preferably used for durability.

The structure heretofore described is substantially the same as is generally in usethat is, a hollow stock having a bit immovably fixed therein at one side of the central transverse opening for receiving the angular tap-heads and a handle secured in thestock at the same side, and the particular features of invention as claimed herein will now be described. 5

Into the end of the chamber 0 having the threads a there is screwed a preferably hollow handle L, which carries in its open end a sleeve Z, which preferably is formed with a flange m, adapted to fit snugly therein with 9 its flange resting against the end of the handle and the whole secured rigidly in place by any suitable means, as a set-screw a, which passes through openings in the walls of the handle and sleeve. Passing loosely through this sleeve is a reduced portion 0 of a eylindrical bit 1), said reduced portion having a preferably circular groove (1 formed near its free end, and this is held in place by any suitable means, as a washer 0', preferably of the horseshoe type, seated in said groove. It will thus be seen that when these five parts are assembled, as just described, prior to being positioned in stock (0 the collar Z is held closely between washer r and the shoulder formed on the bit by cutting it away to form the reduced portion 0, and although the collar is held against rotation by set-screw n the bit, sleeve, and handle form togetheraswivel connection, whereby the bit can rotate freely within the sleeve without being displaced. In one side of the bitis a longitudinal groove 8, and passing through the stock a is asplinescrew 6, the point of which is adapted to rest in said groove to hold bit 19' against rotation when the parts are assembled in Working position.

To assemble the parts in working position, the set-screw h is withdrawn and the bit 9 slipped in through the cylindrical opening 0 onto its seat f, and the screw it is then driven home to hold it in place. The collarl is then placed on the reduced portion 0 of bit p and washer rfitted in placein its groove q. These three parts are-then placed in the end of hollow handle 70 and set-screw n is placed in position. Handle it, with its attached bit 19, is then screwed into the stock a into the position shown in Fig. 2, and spline-screw t is screwed in so that its point rests in the groove 3.

The operation of the wrench is obvious, as owing to the loose connection between the bit 1) and the collar Z, which in turn is rigidly secured to handle in, and the location of splinescrew 2?, which prevents bit 19 from rotating, a rotation of handle it in one direction will advance bit 29 squarely toward bit g, and a rotation in the opposite direction will cause bit 5;) to recede from bit g.

The working parts are all simple in construction, and, as clearly seen from Fig. 2, are all inclosed Within the stock, and thus entirely protected from injury byoutside sources, and after the handle is removed it is only necessary to remove set-screw a, when the parts may all be separated each from each for inspection, replacement, or any other desired purpose.

By the term hollow handle as used in the claims it is not meant that the handle 1 must of necessity be hollow from end to end, for as a matter of fact the hollow portion need only be of sufficientdepth to receive the length of the reduced portion 0 of the bit 19.

It is not desired to be understood that the invention is limited to thedetails of construction and arrangement of parts as herein described and illustrated, as it is manifest that numerous variations and modifications may be made in the features of construction and arrangement withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope thereof. The right is therefore reserved to all such variations and modifications which properly fall within the scope of the invention and the terms of the following claims.

1 claim- 1. The combination with atap-wrench stock provided with a rigid abutment and a longitudinal chamber, of a hollow handle, a sleeve fixed in the end thereof, a bit swiveled within said sleeve, means for feeding said handle through said chamber, and means for preventing rotation of said bit relative to said stock, substantially as described.

2. In a tap-wrench, the combination with a stock provided With a screw-threaded cylindrical chamber, of a longitudinally-movable bit seated therein, means to prevent rotation of said bit, and means for moving said bit comprising a sleeve loosely mounted on one end thereof, means for holding said sleeve in position, a screw-threaded hollow handle fitted in said chamber said sleeve seated within the end thereof and means for securing said sleeve against rotation, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature 1n presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT J. SMART.

/Vitnesses:

ROY H. SMART, FRANCIS N. THOMPSON. 

